The Arts: Part I
by AutyRose
Summary: Art: a skill acquired by experience, study, or observation over time, after building a History. In The Arts: Part I, the storms that have passed and storms to come threaten those fighting to survive, and life will depend upon the skills - The Arts that are developed and implemented through these trials. But sometimes, the heart needs more time to accept what the mind already knows.
1. Remember my words

Hello everyone! As some of you may or may not have known, I have recently participated in the Legend of Korra Big Bang to celebrate the anniversary of the finale of Legend of Korra. As you might /also/ know is that I am very behind schedule when it comes to posting for History: Part II. Due to time constraints, I have been unable to finish the first part of The Arts, though I do plan on finishing it within the next few weeks over break.

Regardless, I am still planning on posting for the Big Bang. So, to celebrate the Legend of Korra Big Bang /and/ the most recent feedback from Chapter 30 of History: Part II, I am releasing a preview of this first chapter of "The Arts: Part I". Of course, I'll be updating the tags, descriptions, and everything else as time goes on, and I was planning originally to post the whole first chapter of The Arts, but after reading through it, I realized there were some major spoilers for History: Part II things that haven't happened yet. So, once those spoilers have passed, I'll post the entirety of this chapter.

Updates for The Arts, of course, will depend on how quickly I'll get to write. Hopefully, I can get it going in a few weeks. *crosses fingers*

A little bit more information (all the words!). This is somewhat of a prologue chapter that I wrote all the way back when I first worked on "The Arts". I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse of what is to come.

The art that has been made for this fic is in collaboration with the stupendous dinopwnt (tumblr URL) via the Legend of Korra Big Bang project. I highly recommend their art and I fully believe you should support them! They are incredible. This piece highlights some of the important key players that may or may not be in this first part of The Arts and I couldn't be more excited about how it turned out. I big huge special thanks to the people running the Legend of Korra Big Bang and to dinopwnt for the incredible art work (it's currently my home screen on my phone, by the way).

I also want to thank each of my readers for supporting me for all this time. I am overly excited to continue writing this story and to eventually get into canon events, and most of all, I'm just honored and thrilled to have all of you in my life in some way, shape, or form. So thank-you, from the bottom, left, right, and top of my heart.

*bows*

Without further ado, please enjoy this preview and keep your eye out for more to come. *heart*

(-)

March 15, 2016 Update

Hello once again! I know it's been quite some time since I've posted in this chapter. As some of you know, I celebrate the 15th of each month for a personal goal of mine that I've kept since May 15, 2012 (wow, that seems like so long ago!). As such, I wanted to update the rest of this chapter as only a preview was previously released. Everything past "Perhaps a little _too_ soon" is new material, and I hope you enjoy it! ^_^

(-)

Chapter 1

 _"Korra is special. She is going to do amazing things in this world – I already know it."_

 **Remember my words**

"Senna, it's going to be okay." Tonraq rubbed his wife's back as he held her in his arms.

The room was dark, with the exception of a small lamp on in the corner. Shadows elongated and shortened from the passing lights through the window. Different objects – simple objects – projected the most horrid images; they felt as basic and emotionless as their insides, the darkness projected onto the floors and walls personifying their hope. Of course, neither of them would let the other admit it, but they were afraid. But it wasn't Korra's disappearance that kept them up at this late hour in the night. She was already lost, already gone. The fear from that news had long passed. No, they weren't afraid that their daughter was missing.

They were afraid that their daughter was dead.

"We're going to find her," Tonraq reassured, withholding his own doubts and fears for the time being; he'd already expressed them enough on the bridge and throughout their journey, and part of him was convinced that it was _his_ own shortcomings that had made the hope and optimism in his wife falter. "And she's going to be alive," he added, further attempting to convince Senna of the future to come.

Not that he really knew what was going to happen for sure. He knew the _possibilities_ , but had not a single clue of the outcome.

"And if she's not? Our baby girl…" Senna's wails grew louder, though at this point, they were just a few notches above a whisper. Regardless, her sobs echoed off of the walls of the borrowed apartment bedroom.

Urkoma was nearby in her _own_ chambers, listening through the wood that separated them in her reading chair near the corner. Her hands were to her chest, sorrow on her face. She stared out of the window and watched the various lights flicker and flash in the all-too-common yellow glow that _was_ Republic City. Korra was out there somewhere and she had no idea where. She had grown quite fond of the teenager, going so far as to consider her a friend – even _if_ their time spent together was short.

That didn't stop the worrying, though.

She would be lying if she said she didn't think about this Southern Water Tribe girl more than any of her other patients. Korra had changed her perspective and given her something to think about. Korra had touched her heart in a way that others had not.

And Korra had left an impact on her that she couldn't explain.

While she knew there was something _different_ about her during their healing sessions several weeks ago, there was still an aspect she couldn't put her finger on until those fingers started working.

Then again, Urkoma knew more about her than Korra – or anyone else, for that matter – had come to realize. She put the pieces together, and all it took was the man's name.

 _Kuru._

But she wasn't one to blow secrets and she wasn't one to voice her opinions on clandestine matters to strangers – _especially_ the ones on the other side of the wall to her.

Because they weren't just strangers in her eyes. No. They were _much_ more.

Tonraq stiffened, his heart starting to come undone as he tried to comfort his wife. "Our baby girl…" He muttered, thinking of nothing else to say.

"I miss her, Tonraq." Senna spoke between sniffles. "I miss her laugh and the way her and Naga would go fishing together every day. I miss the way her and Katara would sit together, talking about the Avatar and all of these different things with tea in front of them and Naga between them."

 _The Avatar?_ Urkoma raised a brow, a faint skip of her heart bringing a spark to her chest. _The Avatar_ , she repeated in her head, closing her eyes to let the pieces settle themselves and play with her previous suspicions. _Hmmm…_

"I know, Senna. I know." He rubbed his wife's back, wanting nothing more than to stop the tears from falling and hitting his chest. "I miss her, too."

"Why did she have to run away? Why couldn't she wait for us? Why did she leave again?"

His heart grew heavy. He had a pretty good reason as to why Korra might have run away, and it's been stuck in the back of his head ever since they started tracking her throughout the City. He closed his eyes and inhaled, searching for some sort of temporary peace.

The only thing that filled him was images – images from his past.

His folly in the North and the destruction of the Sacred Forest.

His banishment that stripped him of everything he had worked so hard to become.

His constant need to prove himself, to atone for all of his actions of the past – to show that he _wasn't_ the neglecting, hot-headed monster that people thought he was.

He was convinced he could do this through a family. He knew there was little he, himself, could do to justify his worth to the North without an heir, especially with his father and Unalaq at the reigns. So he focused on the South. He worked tirelessly to do whatever he could for his people; hunt, repair, protect – whatever they needed. He built his credibility. He built himself up. He dreamed of raising children who would do the same – no, _more_ – than he could _ever_ do.

They would travel the world.

They would be Warriors and Healers and helpers to all people.

They would fix the void he had left behind and bring honor to his blood and his name.

And then, there was Korra.

He had been trying for years to conceive, convinced that he had been cursed with the inability to make a child. But the time came. He made a breakthrough and several months later, Senna was pregnant.

It was one of the happiest days of his life.

They went to the taakti every week to check on the health of their child. When the baby was big enough, the taakti showed them how to use Water Bending to feel the life of the fetus.

It was one of his favorite things to do.

Every night, he would wrap his arms around his wife's growing belly – just after she had drifted to sleep – and reach into her with his chi, which was amplified by his Bending.

There it was; his little baby's heart.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

It was music to his ears – his favorite symphony. It told a story that no kiluan or atuktuk could render, no matter how intense the song. There were nights where the little flesh raced and the baby tossed and turned. Other evenings brought about a gentle pitter patter, the child occasionally stretching or twitching in the process. Yes, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life – feeling the life he created, the life filled with his own blood, growing and preparing to enter the world.

Perhaps a little _too_ soon.

He never would have expected to find Senna on the floor when he returned from his hunting trip, several days late from the storms that stranded them. They had outrun the second one that threatened to keep them at bay, but had to abandon the food they fought so hard to capture. Many of the people in the village were hungry. Some of them needed clothes and boots from those tiger seals. His fellow hunters had waited days for the blizzards to let up enough for them to scout and search for some sort of prey, the squalls becoming more and more frequent ever since the Avatar had returned to the Southern Water Tribe.

That, too, was when his little baby had been the most upset inside his wife's womb, sometimes even keeping Senna awake all night from the tossing.

He found himself humming softly to the unborn child during these times, hoping the gentle vibrations from his voice would be enough to soothe his baby while allowing Senna to sleep undisturbed – at least, in the times that she hadn't been woken up from the distress.

It did little to help the restless child.

Of course, the more he thought about it after the fact, the more he realized _why_ it made sense: it was no secret to him that Korra was premature after the birth. She wanted to get out, and she wanted to get out as soon as she could.

Yes, he was quite full of shock when he returned from the storms to find his wife on the ground in labor. Korra was always stubborn.

And she was always a fighter.

Even the day she was born, Korra was a fighter. The baby that emerged from Senna was tiny and thin and frail looking, much more so than the newly born children he had seen in the past. Her head was fuzzy and small. Her hands were in little fists the moment Kya helped her out of his wife. But what concerned him the most was how still the child was.

How still and _breathless._

His heart had dropped at that moment. His baby was dying. His baby was dying in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't feel that little heart beat, couldn't make sure she was alive. And he was terrified that he would never feel that heart beat again.

Tonraq almost wished he could shove the baby right back inside of Senna and let her grow until she was more developed, until she was healthy enough to be outside of the womb.

But he knew that was not how such things worked.

It was when the violent shaking began, not even a few seconds after the stillness and the failed attempt to get his baby to breathe that he felt his world shatter.

Kya was doing everything she could to save his child. He _knew_ that. But it wasn't enough. He felt helpless; he had no knowledge about babies and healing and any of this stuff.

The only thing he could hear was that little thumping he missed so much.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

He had fought through the noise, fought through the heartbreak to get to Katara. He watched on as they Bent water around his one and only child, her skin paling by the second.

But those fists.

Those fists were still tight. She was still fighting, grasping the emptiness in her little hands as if she were grasping onto life itself.

That's when he knew she was a fighter.

His eyes widened when the fluid was pulled from her lungs. He clutched onto his wife, who was squeezing him back in the same state of disbelief.

Soon, the shaking and flinching stopped. The pained expression on his little baby's face faded away.

Then came the crying. The loud, powerful shrill shook them to the core and made their eardrums reverberate.

And that high pitched sound overtook the symphony of her little heart on those quiet nights – replaced it altogether.

Her cry not only showcased her strength, but it showcased her _life_. She was a fighter, she was alive, she was his little baby girl, and he was determined, at that moment, to do whatever he could for the premature newborn in his arm. He looked onto his child – his _blood_ – with watery eyes, smiling when the baby stopped crying once they gave her her name.

 _Korra._

Her bright blue eyes opened at that moment, the shrieking simmering to gentle breathing. She looked up at him and he was overcome with a potent love. He would take any deathblow at that second if it meant the child wrapped up in the wolf pelt he had procured the week before was safe.

Tonraq mirrored the smile his little girl gave him. He closed his eyes and it was then that he could feel the heart beat once more.

It was sporadic but strong, intermingled with a life force so mighty that he almost flinched at its rawness.

 _Where did it all go wrong?_

 _You know where it all went wrong._

He did. Sure, he couldn't pinpoint the _exact_ moment, but he knew _why_ it went wrong.

It was because of _him_ , because of his ego and ulterior motives. _He_ wanted a child, but his subconscious wanted redemption _more_.

"It's my fault." He muttered, more to himself than his wife.

"Tonraq, it's not –"

"I pushed her too hard, Senna. I wanted her to be a Water Bender. I wanted her to fill my spot, fill my place, to end the shame I brought upon my name after what happened in the North. And I kept making it worse. I wanted a clean slate, and I tried to do that through her."

She lowered her head, her heart shattering further at the truth she already knew.

Urkoma set her jaw in the other room, anger swelling in her.

 _How could he use Korra like that?_

"I wanted her to be more, Senna, to have a better life than me. I – I never should have been so rough with her."

"She's got your stubbornness, Tonraq. She wasn't going to stop trying to Water Bend until she got the water in the pot to move. Even after we took her to Katara's –"

"That was wrong of me. I _never_ should have dragged her there the way I did. I – I never should have done what I did." He looked away, his heart dropping in his chest. "I let my anger get the best of me. And I hurt her."

Urkoma gripped onto the arms of her chair, her knuckles a few shades lighter than before.

 _I swear to the Spirits if he ever laid a harmful hand on Korra._

"I wanted her to end up… I didn't want her to have the life I had. I didn't want her to make the same mistakes. And now, she has nothing. She can't Water Bend. She has no education. What is she going to be? What is she going to _do_? I just wanted her to _be_ something, Senna."

"That's what every parent should want, Tonraq."

"But I took it too far. I _know_ I did. All those times I tried to train her. All the times I got frustrated with her when she couldn't do even the simplest Water Bending task of feeling the water. All of the times I made her cry… And she ran away. She ran away in her teens and almost _died_ because of it. She –" He fought for breath in his recollection. His mind flashed from the shaking infant on the fur across from him to the shaking teen under the furs by his side. "Now, she's gone again and who knows if she made it this time. She's gone. She's gone because of _me_."

Senna didn't know what to say. She pulled him closer and ran her fingers across his chest, her tears still flowing. "There's got to be more to it than this, Tonraq."

"Is there, really? Because you're right, Senna. She _could_ have waited. She could have stayed in her dorm until we got there and told us everything that happened. But she didn't. She just… _left_."

"We're going to find her."

"And if she doesn't want to come back with us?"

She paused. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we get there. We can't force her to come home if she doesn't want to. Besides, you're not the only one at fault for this. I didn't exactly treat Korra the best I could have, either. But all we can do now is tell her how sorry we are and how much we love her and try to make amends."

"If she's still alive."

Their hearts dropped. Senna's tears worsened into streams. She tensed up and curled into her husband.

"I'm sorry, Senna. I'm sorry." Tonraq pulled his wife closer, Bending some of her tears away out of habit. "We'll find her. She'll be okay." He closed his eyes and took a breath, wishing for nothing more than to feel his little baby's heartbeat again, to just know for sure that Korra was alive.

The only thing he felt was guilt. Guilt and regret.

(-)

When he cracked his lids about half an hour later, he lowered his sight to his wife, who had fallen asleep in his arms. Her tear trails were dried on her face, leaving a salty residue. He glanced out the window, watching the glimmering lights of this strange place. Sleep would not come to him. Every shadow that passed made his heart flinch at the thought of his daughter being out there in this mess somewhere. Tonraq slid out of Senna's loose grip. He creaked across the room, stretching along the way. He snuck out of the borrowed bedroom and into the common room nearby. The door to a small outdoor patio caught his eye. He stepped outside and took in the cold air through his nose. He didn't like the smells of Republic City. The air was tainted with burned fuels and people and dust. He was much more accustomed to the clear, crisp sting of the arctic ends of the earth. He rested his forearms against the metal banister and stared out at the almost-starless sky before him.

"Can't sleep?"

Tonraq spun around to the unfamiliar voice behind him. His eyes met Urkoma's with a flick of fear in his pupils. He masked it with a blink. "I'm just getting some air."

"You don't need to lie, Tonraq." Urkoma leaned against the outer stone wall of the apartment.

He crossed his arms, his stubbornness ever present. "I'm not lying."

"Cut the machismo act. It's not fooling anyone." She straightened and matched the intensity in his being, completely through with playing nice. She had been waiting too long for this moment. "I heard you and Senna talking. I _know_ about what you did in the North. And I _know_ about the way you treated Korra. You're just as ruthless as your father was when he disinherited you."

Tonraq gritted his teeth, red coming into his sight. "What could you possibly know about _any_ of this?"

"Because I'm _from_ the Northern Water Tribe, Tonraq. I was there when you destroyed the Sacred Forest." It was Urkoma's turn to cross her arms.

"You – you were _there_?"

"Not at the scene, no. But I got the end result. My whole _family_ did – _especially_ my little brother." Her tone morphed from intense to sorrowful. She forced it away, for the time being. "But this isn't about that and how your banishment royally screwed the Northern Water Tribe. This is about _Korra_."

He paused. "What do you mean 'my banishment royally screwed the Northern Water Tribe'?"

She sighed. "When was the last time you heard anything from anyone in the North since you left that _wasn't_ from the Chief himself or the tax collectors? Things are going downhill, and your little stunt with the Sacred Forest was the first nail in the coffin."

He scowled. "It wasn't a stunt. I was trying to protect my people –"

"And look where it got you. Look where you ended up." She stepped closer and closer to him, fire in his eyes. "Do you ever take the time to _think_ over your actions, or do you just shoot out of the gate and ask questions later like a mindless gorilla goat?"

Tonraq backed up until his body hit the banister behind him. He gripped the railing to stop himself from falling over the edge.

"You would think you would have learned _something_ from your banishment, but you're still the same arrogant, hot-headed, stubborn sack of _stupidity_ you were twenty-one years ago."

"Did you only invite me into your home so that you could _insult_ me?"

"The only reason I even let you set a single _foot_ near me is _Korra_."

Their faces were inches apart, red rage meeting red rage.

"What does Korra have to do with this?"

" _Everything_ , Tonraq. Korra has _everything_ to do with this. She is the only reason why I'm not snapping your neck where you stand after everything you've done."

Tonraq clenched his jaw. "I _know_ I'm not perfect. I _know_ I've fucked things up in the past –"

"And what have you done to _fix_ them?"

"There's not much I can do in the North given the whole _banished for life_ part –"

"Tonraq, I'm not _talking_ about the North. _Fuck_ the North. You've already done enough damage up there and killed enough people in the city."

"I didn't kill a _single person_ in the city."

" _You_ didn't, but the Dark Spirits you released when you destroyed the Sacred Forest did."

He scoffed. "There were no casualties from the Spirits. My brother took care of them before they could take any lives."

"Oh, _really_? Tell that to my brother who was crushed and killed under the debris when the Dark Spirits destroyed my home!" Urkoma was seeing red, inches away from just pushing Tonraq over the side of the patio and watching him plummet to the ground in a satisfying splatter.

The blood drained from his face. His heart sunk in his chest. "I – I had no idea –"

" _No_ , you _didn't_." She growled, turning away from the man before she lost control. Urkoma paced over to the patio door and rested her forehead against the cool stone of the apartment. She took a breath to gather herself, having not felt this type of fury for _decades_. "Things were never the same after that," she muttered, the memories of her broken family coming back to her. "I couldn't stay in my home, even after it was rebuilt. I wanted to leave the Northern Water Tribe and never come back. Having Unalaq as the next heir didn't help; things in the North only got worse and worse. My parents didn't want me to go, but once I finished my schooling at the medical facilities, I left. I haven't been back since." She faced him again, a new wave of momentum filling her. "So you want to know what I know about this? I know _plenty_. I know that your actions have hurt more people than you think, but most of all, they've hurt _Korra_."

"I know they have –"

"No, you _don't_. You have no _idea_ what type of damage you've inflicted on her. You've done more than made her run away when she was younger. You've _broken_ her. You've made her feel _useless_. She just wants to be enough for you, but she feels like she _never will be_ , all because you were so hell bent on her being a Water Bender. She wasn't just jumbled up when she came to see me in the hospital; she was _broken_." Urkoma's heart ached to the words that flew out of her mouth, but she kept the fervor in her eyes as they bore into Tonraq's. "Korra is _special_. She is going to do _amazing_ things in this world – I already know it. But you've left a gaping hole inside of her that you _need_ to fix. She's never going to get better until you start to show her that she's _enough_ for you. And if she isn't enough for you, then you don't deserve her as a daughter. As a matter of fact, you don't deserve her at _all._ "

Their faces were inches apart again. Urkoma didn't even realize that she had moved closer to Tonraq in her fury.

"And she certainly doesn't deserve you as a father from the way you've treated her in the past. _Stop_ trying to make up for what you did in the North and _start_ working on what you've done to Korra. Your relationship with the Northern Water Tribe is beyond repair. The actions have been done. The mistakes have been made. It was over twenty _years_ ago. Move the fuck on. But Korra… she's your _daughter_ , your _blood_. She looked up to you and you sent her crashing down into a pool of your own failure and insecurity. You want to know why she ran away? Well there you have it. You're right; she _wasn't_ looking forward to seeing you. And until you start acting like a better father and stop _crushing_ her under your disappointment, she's going to _keep_ running. I thought all people from the Southern Water Tribe were going to be as brash and idiotic and unsophisticated as you until I met Korra. She opened my eyes and changed my perspective. She is a _wonderful_ person. She is strong and kind and courageous beyond your years. And she deserves a _hell_ of a lot better than you. So you better shape up and you better _find_ her. Got it?"

Tonraq's legs were shaking underneath him, even though the movement was minute. His heart sunk to the core of the earth. He didn't know when he had started crying, but there were single tears down the sides of his face. He nodded, frustration and regret in his irises.

Urkoma wanted to lay it on him, wanted to let him have it for everything he did to Korra. But when she looked into his eyes, she had seen the damage _she_ had done. While she believed he deserved it, a broken Warrior wouldn't be as effective at finding Korra as a whole one would be. She simmered down and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "You _need_ to find Korra. You and I both know the City isn't a safe place for her. Now get yourself together and get some sleep. I don't expect you to stop until you've got her in your sights." She turned away and approached the patio door, but stopped short of the exit. She faced him again, a darkness in her eyes brought on by years of her past and the stories Korra had told her. "And if I hear a single _word_ about you laying a finger on Korra, you'll be getting a visit from me in the Southern Water Tribe, and I will be the _last_ person you ever see in your life." Urkoma pushed her way through to the common room, leaving Tonraq to mull over the words that she left hanging in the air.

 _And he better not forget a single one of them. Remember my words, Tonraq. Korra is so much more than what everyone thinks she is and she deserves so much better than what she's got._

She paused a moment at her bedroom doorway and looked out to the City, her own fears for her former patient consuming her.

 _I hope they find her soon, and I hope she's okay._


	2. The situation

Hello everyone!

It has been a long time since I have updated this, and I apologize; the last year and a half of my life has gotten away from me as I completed my thesis degree. I am moving onto my PhD now and expect some tough work ahead of me. But! During this summer, I have been working on this piece and writing new chapters because I love you and I love this story. I haven't finished writing this installment yet, but I still wanted to give you an update. Many of you have moved on from the Elements series while others have stuck around, patiently waiting for more. And to that, I would like to say "thank-you". Thank-you for your support and love over the years, even if you are no longer in the fandom or just getting into Legend of Korra. Not a day goes by where I don't think of you and don't feel grateful for each and every one of you.

I wanted to post today for two reasons: to celebrate my 25th birthday and to celebrate the international release of the Legend of Korra comics. As such, I am giving away five copies of the comics for free to my lovely readers! All you have to do is follow lok-elements on Tumblr. And yes, that is exactly what it sounds like: a Tumblr just for this fic series! It is still in development as well, and I hope to add more over time, but all of the previous fic chapters are there with one-sentence summaries and links to the AO3 and versions for you to enjoy. It will also feature art, bios on the characters, and much more to come! I will collect the names of the people who follow the page after this post and do a raffle of the comics on August 9th, 2017 at 10:00 PM EST. If you win, I will contact you!

Moving forward, to help ease into this chapter, I wanted to give you all a little "previously on" to highlight some of the major events that happened in History Part I and Part II. Feel free to reread some chapters if you want as well!

Previously on Elements:

Asami, Tonraq, Senna, and Naga searched Republic City for Korra after Korra went missing. They found a letter threatening her from a man named Kuru who was previously violent against Korra and Asami. It was Korra's defense of Asami from Kuru's assault that resulted in Korra Fire Bending for the first time after spending her entire life not being able to Bend any element, despite her Water Bending parents. Asami finds evidence of foul play between Kuru and their chemistry professor, Sentai, who has caused nothing but trouble for Korra and Asami. She submits the evidence to the dean of the college, Dr. Suri, before returning to Republic City to search for Korra.

Eventually, they are successful in their hunt and find Korra on the outskirts of Future Industries. There, they are attacked by a group of the Strikers lead by Sentai himself. They are able to flee to the Sato Mansion where Asami learns that her father might be involved in making weapons for the Strikers. They leave the Mansion and head to the Southern Water Tribe on a boat they stole from Future Industries.

Once there, Korra and Asami start to settle and confess their love for each other. The next day, the Strikers attack in an attempt to retrieve Asami and return her to Republic City on the secret orders of Hiroshi Sato covered by a reward for several thousand yuans for Asami's return that was plastered around the city. A confrontation ensues where Sentai reveals his past involvement with Katara and her family many years ago that resulted in the harm of a pregnant Suki. During the battle, Korra is forced to Fire Bend to save Asami and Katara from danger. This shocks the Southern Water Tribe, though no one is more upset than Tonraq. He argues with Senna about it later in the night and storms off, yelling that Korra is not his daughter. This upsets Korra deeply, and Asami and Naga console her into sleep.

During the night, Korra sleepwalks to the glacier where she confessed her love to Asami. The moon is full and the Winter Solstice has come. With the Spirit World close to the Physical World now more than ever, Korra is taken to the Spirit World where she learns more about her birth and the death of the Avatar that occurred not too far away at the same time. It is then that Korra learns she was premature and underdeveloped at birth, and suffered a seizure and blood clots in her brain during the delivery. When she returns, Katara tests her with an old Avatar relic and reveals, upon Korra's correct answer, that her suspicions were correct: Korra was the Avatar after all. Korra goes into shock as the pieces fall into place. Three men from the White Lotus want to take Korra away to the compound to train, but Korra refuses. They attack her later that night, with their Fire Bending leader Piku claiming he is not a member of the White Lotus. He strikes Korra with lightning, which she manages to redirect, but the force of the energy and damage she endured renders her unconscious.

Again, thank-you for your time, comments, and love!

(-)

Chapter 2

 _As far as she could see, she had two options: allow the dark to consume her or find some source of light to guide the way._

 **The situation**

She wasn't quite _swimming_ in a sea of darkness. No, her limbs weren't moving around through blackened waters as they had through the Mo Ce Sea. This was more like a drift, as if she were laying in a calm lake, floating on her back in a perpetually silent neck of the woods.

Silent. Abandoned. Peaceful.

 _Yes_.

It was what she needed after all this torture. Some _peace…_ and… _quiet_ …

She sighed in content, coming to the conclusion that she would be happy in this state of absentness for _quite_ some time.

It was when the minutes turned into hours and the hours felt like years that she began to grow frantic. The silence became deafening. No longer did she find comfort in the darkness that was swallowing her. What she believed to be a mindless drift turned into an act of suffocation. Her senses weren't heightened from the black as one would expect. If anything, she felt as if they were on fire.

Except for taste. For some reason, the only thing she could taste was dryness, like her tongue hadn't touched water in _ages_.

And a slight bit of metallic, the oh-too familiar flavor of what she later recognized to be blood.

This was enough to startle her. She tried to sit up, but it was of no use. Her body ached, a thin layer of sweat failing to keep her cool. Her nose took in a mixture of smells; burnt flesh, arctic air, sea water, a small fire. Her ears were ringing with nothing but the perpetuating silence. Her eyes, as frantic as they were, took in all that was around her.

All of which was that _damned_ darkness.

She had enough. She wasn't going to drift in this wretched lake anymore. She wanted to know more. She wanted to see the animals swimming underneath her, the clouds of the blue sky above her, the sun radiating onto her skin to keep her warm and give her strength.

She wanted to _move_ ; she was sick of the stagnation.

But when she sent the signal from her brain to move her arm above her head, nothing happened. She focused on her toes, but they wouldn't curl. Her attention was spread to her vocal chords, but they just wouldn't vibrate with the voice she had known to be her own.

So she did the only thing she knew how to do in this situation: she thought.

While it might have seemed like a simple route to take, it was not always that easy. Her mind was a discombobulated mixture of images that she couldn't see.

But she could feel them. And she didn't like what she felt.

There was sorrow in her heart. Swarms of rage infected her. Pain coursed through her, sending a shock to her brain. But for her, it wasn't unfamiliar in the slightest.

And she decided she wanted it to end.

 _No more_ , the first thought panged. _No more._

The words were split between a plea and a command. Half of her was the former while the other was the latter.

As far as she could see, she had two options: allow the dark to consume her or find some source of light to guide the way.

While she didn't quite know where _the way_ was or where it would take her or how to get there, it seemed a hell of a lot better than drifting along in this perpetual silence. She came to the conclusion, at that moment, that there really _is_ such a thing as "too much of a good thing", because even the greatest of things can start to drive you mad at some point.

 _Except, maybe…_

There was a small spark in her. It wasn't so much a light as it was a feeling. The colors of the images started to break from the darkness and into her mind.

She saw a flick of familiar green. That was all that was granted to her.

It was then that she knew what she wanted to do. While it was a wonderful sentiment to float around having no responsibility, no problems, no pain or torment to haunt her into submission until the end of her time, it just wasn't _enough_. It didn't bring her the same type of happiness and joy as the other things did. She was content, for sure, and peaceful at last, but it just wasn't _enough_. She wanted that overwhelming pleasure that would exude from her pores whenever something wonderful happened.

And she decided that, even if the highs meant facing the many, many lows that seemed to stalk her like a rabaroo to a cabbage cart, it was well worth it.

Because she was meant for greater things. Because she wanted to make a difference.

Another spark flicked in her. This one caught. The heat had grabbed onto something inside of her and lit it afire. She looked down and saw a small, white flame in her core. It waved to her, as if the little flame was blowing in a tumultuous wind.

She wrapped her metaphoric hands around it, protecting it from the gales. Feeling started to return to her body. Her lungs became apparent to her again. She took a deep breath and the flame grew larger. Another inhale and her nerves in her toes kicked in. It spread to each of her limbs, projecting both life and pain into her mind.

She could tell that her body was damaged, but the aches weren't going to stop her.

She filled her lungs and spread her arms a few inches, giving room for the bright light to expand. It morphed from a flickering flame to a swirling beam that rapidly circled and turned inside of her, the pattern never constant. Several other sources of light began to fade into her sight, all of which depicting different flows inside of her.

There were eddies and storms and whirlpools and squalls. They were familiar to her, whether she wanted them to be or not.

It was the intense buzzing that _really_ got her attention. It radiated from her core, making her little tempests seem like simple breezes. It made her bones shake and her ears vibrate from the frequency. A voice called out to her, one that was all too recognizable after everything she had been through.

 _Korra._

This time, she wasn't afraid. She wasn't angry. She wasn't curious. The only thing she radiated was a strong sense of determination.

She found her vocal chords. It was time. "I'm ready," she spoke with a resolute voice, her decision to leave the maddening comfort of the darkness true in her heart.

The white energy filled her from head to toe. In a blinding flash of light, she dropped from her drifting state and slammed into herself.

And the second she did, part of her wished she hadn't.

Her nerves burned with pain. Her muscles were stiff. Her back ached and her head swirled. Sounds of pounding and slamming and muffled screaming floated into her ears. It wasn't until she recognized the voice that she finally came into herself.

That flint of green she had seen revealed itself, and the image matched the human-made noises.

Korra's eyes shot open in a panic. The darkened walls around her were shifting in their visibility from the flickering fire beside her. She forced herself to sit up, though her core and limbs pained to do so. It took her several tries, but after the fifth, she managed to do it. The blanket covering her torso fell into her lap, prompting her peripherals to pick up on the white bandages on her torso. She glanced down and saw two pairs of wraps; one was her normal coverings for her breasts while the other was more like gauze, hiding a wound she couldn't see just below the edge of her bindings.

But she felt it. _Spirits_ did she feel it.

The buzzing in her core would not cease. She closed her eyes and massaged her temple, noting her wolf tails were missing. Before she could even ask herself what happened, her memories played it out in a quick flash.

A quick flash of _lightning_.

Korra gasped and pushed herself back, her lids separating from the image. She had been shot by lightning, but not that of the natural sort; it was man-made, and it was from a Fire Bender with a motive to kill her.

 _He – he almost killed me. I almost_ _died._

She felt her face with frantic hands.

"It didn't work," she whispered, finding her _real_ vocal chords for the first time since she was awake. Her voice was rough and her throat was dry. The metallic taste was still in her mouth, the perception from her floating darkness an actual translation from her physical state. With another touch of her lashes, she saw herself catching the lightning from Piku in her hands, felt it radiate and sting her core.

 _He wanted me dead. I didn't even know him and he wanted me dead._

 _How is that different than Kuru or Sentai?_

 _Because he – he wanted to kill me just because I'm the –_

Korra gulped. Her heart twisted in her chest as it sped up. Her head felt light though her limbs were heavy. Sweat continued to form on her skin. She blinked and saw the lightning once more, coming as fast at her as her blink had been.

 _Fucking hell_ , she grimaced. She closed her eyes and the image replayed.

Korra twitched inward and put her palms on her covered injury, right over the spot where she was struck. She didn't open her eyes though. She let the memory proceed, observing in awe as she redirected the attack to five other people at once, the lightning flowing freely from each of her fingertips. Her hand moved to Piku and she struck him down as well, the last of her energy draining from her.

 _If I had been one second off, one inch… I don't think I would have lived…_

This brought a chill to her bones. Honestly, it terrified her. The energy inside of her flared up. She tried to inhale but the air wouldn't enter. She could feel her eyes water.

 _I almost died. Like,_ _actually_ _died. This wasn't just me getting sick or beat up by some thugs or criminals. I could have been gone._ _Gone_ _gone. In the blink of an eye._

 _Was_ _I gone?_ Another side chimed in. _Was that darkness…_

 _No, you weren't dead,_ a different voice called, _and you're not gone now. You survived._

Korra tightened her arms against her stinging abdomen. The scene replayed once more, the lightning surging towards her and her hands catching the blast. She could see Piku's eyes, the dark look of destruction and death in those pupils.

 _Her_ destruction. _Her_ death. For no other reason than her title, it seemed.

Korra bit her lip. Her heart pounded. A part of her deep down didn't want to utter those two words.

The lightning burned through her as it replayed, and her abdomen throbbed as if on cue. Korra gritted her teeth and watched once more as she managed to redirect the lightning.

But it wasn't the collapse onto her knees or the buzzing and electricity beaming off her rattled center that forced her lids apart. Rather, it was the sight of the woman rushing towards her, the woman she loved, the woman whose green eyes had come to her in the darkness and whose voice had gotten her attention as she returned.

The woman who was currently making the same muffled noises above her, which were followed by several thuds and groans.

"Asami!" Korra jumped up, regretting the decision the instant her toes hit the cold wooden floor. She collapsed onto the boards in a painful crash, convinced she acquired some new scrapes, bruises, and maybe even a cut or two from the impact.

She didn't care.

Korra growled her way to her feet, her right hand on her torso wound as she meandered at a sloppy pace through the door. It took everything in her to stay on her feet. The ship was starting to look familiar to her, but she had no time to stand around and examine the pieces. She passed the empty helm and crawled up the steps to the deck. She halted at the top, surprised at what she saw.

There were several people surrounding Asami, all with various looking wardrobes – most of which consisted of flowing torso garments and black pants. Some of them were adorned with long earrings while others had hats. Their weaponry contained whips and small explosives and swords of all sorts.

Asami was fending them off in the close range, redirecting their attacks at break neck speed.

Kya was to her left, using her Water Bending to switch between the offensive for the people on the deck and the defensive for the boat that tried to shoot cannon balls at their ship.

Naga was nearby, attempting to chase down some sort of iguana parrot that had dared to try and peck her eyes.

Korra brought her attention back to Asami, completely perplexed as to what was happening. She had no idea when they had gotten on a ship or where they were or who these people were as she leaned on the entryway beside her. She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth when one of the whips wrapped around Asami's wrist, forcing her to stop her attack and yelp in pain from the recoil. It was when the man with the sword ran towards her that Korra sprang into action.

She knew she was too far away and too sore to catch up to the man before he reached Asami. Korra took a look at her as she inhaled, focusing the best she could on the chi inside of her aching body. She didn't need a large portion of her fluctuating energy; she just needed enough for a little fire, just enough to distract them.

 _Please let this work._

She directed the chi from her stomach up into her left arm, which was poised and ready for her to punch the air. With a tightening of her core, a deep exhale, and a rather strong – but expected – pain in her skull, she extended her arm and forced the energy out of her knuckles.

A very tiny stream of fire flowed from her and raced over to the charging swordsman. It intercepted his path and set the whip on fire, forcing the rope that held Asami back to slowly disintegrate into ashes.

 _It worked. It actually worked._

They all turned to Korra, faces in shock – though the most surprise came from the woman she had just saved. None of them were expecting a third person to enter this fight, let alone a _Fire Bending_ person.

Korra staggered in the entryway a bit frozen from disbelief herself, though the tiny grin on her lips and the mischievous look in her eyes showed otherwise.

That all faded when half of the men ran towards her after the attacker with the sword yelled "get her".

 _Shit!_

Korra spun around and booked it, knowing she was in no shape to fend them all off. She didn't even know who they _were_ ; if anything, she just wanted to distract them from Asami.

 _Mission accomplished there._

She missed a stair in her panic and tumbled down the rest of the flight, cursing as she did so. Her limbs were just _not_ ready for this physical endeavor after being sore and inactive for Spirits know how long. Korra pushed herself to her feet and scurried along, their voices loud in her ears. Adrenaline fueled her, overpowering the absolute torment she felt when she moved her legs even an inch. She sprinted to her door and slammed it shut, spinning the lock as fast as she could. The banging of metal-on-metal echoed through the room. She backed away to the other side, her peripherals taking in her surroundings. There was no way out from here. The ship felt like it was shaking, just as she was. The fire caught her eye and she shifted into an offensive stance. If she had to fight, then she was going to make the most of it. She focused on her chi again, trying her best not to pull from the growing flames of rage inside of her. While this method was more painful for her, she would much rather try to pull from her sun and her chi than her anger; the former _always_ produced stronger blazes, and the more she did it, the less of an effect it seemed to have on her. It was the _proper_ way to Bend, the method she had been trying to ingrain in her head since her trip to the Fire Nation –

 _Korra, would you shut up and just_ _focus_ _! You can reminisce and think about this_ _later_ _. Just focus on your damn chi and stop making things so wordy!_

She nodded and took a step forward, her fists up at her face and ready. Her shoulders and back burned but she fought to ignore it. She tried to take hold of a small piece of chi, a tiny stream that induced a pain that she could handle. Her shoulders tensed from the attempt and her subsequent failure. She gritted her teeth as the minor ache in her mind began to pulse into a stronger shock.

 _Come on, you worked a second ago!_

She tried again, but couldn't get the energy under her control.

Korra scowled.

 _I only need a little bit…_

The sounds of the men outside colliding with each other and the door filled her ears, pulling her away from her third attempt. The men bounced off one another and fell to the floor, groaning as they did so.

 _What the –_

Korra straightened just a bit and watched on with confused eyes as water slid under the crack of her door and into her room. Some of it receded from the pool that had formed, the sounds of the battered attackers fading at the same time. Light footsteps forced the floor boards to creak. A pound on the door reverberated off the walls of her room.

"Korra?" The voice was muffled, but recognizable.

"Asami?" She approached the door, waiting for a response.

"Yes, it's me. You're safe now; Kya cleared the last of them."

 _Well, that explains the water._

Korra forced the spinning lock open, her core aching as she did so. Once it clicked, she pulled the door open and held her injured side with her free hand.

She almost fell over from the force of Asami's hug.

"You're okay. You're alive," she whispered, a handful of dark brown hair tight in her grip.

Korra melted into her, her tumultuous insides easing just a bit.

Asami departed and put a gloved hand on each side of Korra's face. She flicked between the oceans before her with worried peridots. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my legs are going to give out the second you let me go."

A mixture of emotions spread across her face. "Here, lay down. You need to rest. Your body has been through a lot." She slid her arms under Korra's and guided her to the bed.

"Are you okay, Asami? Did they hurt you?" It was her only concern as Asami forced her to lie down.

"No, no, I'm fine. You really helped me back there. Thank-you." She gave her a genuine smile and sat on the edge of the mattress. She tucked the blanket around Korra's shoulders and slid her hand up to Korra's face. Her fingers meandered over to a loose brown lock and caressed it off Korra's scarred cheek.

Their eyes locked. Her heart raced, though her exterior was calm and collected. Fortunate for her, her vocal chords were also in check this time around. "What happened, Asami? Who were those people?"

"Pirates, believe it or not."

" _Pirates?_ "

She chuckled to the disbelief in Korra's voice. "Yes, pirates."

"What were they doing here?"

Asami sighed and looked away. "They were here for me."

"For _you_? Why?"

"For the same reasons the Strikers were." She turned back to Korra, intensity burning in her eyes. "They wanted the reward for my 'safe' return to my father. They had the notice and everything…"

"So, it's true; he _did_ put out a reward for you."

She nodded and dropped her sight.

Korra, on the other hand, was furious. "You're not something that can just be bought and sold like a lost pet. This is _ridiculous_. Well, I won't just let someone come and take you away for some yuans," she motioned to sit up but the pain in her core was too much. She plopped back onto the mattress with a grunt.

Asami met her eyes and held her shoulders. "Rest, Korra. Relax."

She shut her lids and took a breath, forcing the raging flames to recede a bit.

"Besides, I don't need you to do that for me; I intend on taking care of the situation myself."

Korra looked at Asami with a bit of shock at her dark, commanding tone. "What do you mean?"

She pushed herself to her feet and paced over to the fire. Asami placed her hand on the top of the mantel and stared at the flames below. "We're heading to Republic City right now for supplies. We've been out at sea for about two days, so we should be getting close. Once we get there, I'm going to do whatever it takes to put an end to this 'reward' before any more people get hurt." Asami clenched her jaw and closed her fist, images of the members of the Southern Water Tribe who were injured or dead floating to her mind. Her thoughts ended on Korra and everything that had happened to her from their conflict with the Strikers. Asami faltered a bit when she added "before _you_ get hurt, _again_."

 _Because of me_ , she concluded, but to herself so that even Korra couldn't hear. Her resolution was strong when they left the Southern Water Tribe, her promise to Katara and even Korra fresh in her mind and her heart. But her time at sea sitting by Korra's injured, unconscious side had caused such drive to waver. The silence gave her too much time to think, and for someone like Asami Sato, too much time to think could be deadly during long, sleepless nights. She thought about what they had been through, what had got them to this point. She thought of Kuru and Sentai. She thought of the Strikers. She thought of her father and the Benders that attacked them and everything in between. And she began to wonder if keeping her promise would be the best thing she could do to keep Korra safe. Prior to the pirate attack just a few moments before, she had thought it was. Now, despite her previous statements of confidence, she was thinking otherwise. What if it _wasn't_ the right option at all? What if Katara was wrong? What if her heart was wrong? She inhaled; this was too much for her now. So, she tried to hide it, not just for herself, but for Korra.

Korra was no fool, though. At least, not _all_ the time; she could feel Asami's pain. Her stomach turned. She took a breath and shoved it down. "How – do you plan on doing that?" She spoke in a broken sentence, trying and failing to sit up again.

Asami turned back to the bed and crossed the room. "I'm going to meet up with my father and – talk to him. And let him know that I'm okay." She lost a bit more of her fire as guilt swam into her gut. She sat beside Korra on the bed and glanced at her gloved hands, which were fidgeting in her lap.

 _I should have told him sooner. Then this_ _all_ _could have been avoided. The Strikers wouldn't have attacked, Korra wouldn't have had to Fire Bend, and_ _none_ _of this would have happened… It's my fault._

Korra squirmed until she could reach Asami, hiding the grimace on her face. She wrapped her fingers around one of Asami's palms to get her attention.

Their eyes locked.

"It's going to be okay, Asami. Whatever is going to happen, well, it's going to be okay." She tightened her hold, wanting nothing more than to comfort the woman she loved. "Besides, I'm sure your dad will be happy to see you again after everything that has happened the past few days."

She looked away and nodded, wondering to herself if the sentiment was true in the reverse; she wasn't all that excited about returning to the City and seeing her father once more. There was still too much going on inside of her heart and inside of those streets for her to feel safe in the place she had called home. The only time she _did_ feel secure since they left Republic City was when –

Asami brought her attention back to Korra, imagining her soothing arms around her. She shook the notion away inside; this was not the time for such things.

"Are you okay, Asami?"

"I'm fine," Asami blurted out, her natural response to the question. She didn't want to worry Korra about her emotions – not right _now_ at least, and not until Asami could take a breath without fear creeping into her lungs.

Korra forced herself completely upright, continuing the motions even with Asami's protest. She wrapped her arms around Asami and pulled her into an embrace, knowing full well that Asami was _not_ okay.

 _I wish there was more I could do._

"I want you to know that I'm here for you, if you ever want to talk," Korra pulled away and met the saddening peridots before her, "or _anything_."

Asami smiled and placed a hand on each side of Korra's face. "Likewise."

They grinned softly at each other, the world melting away from them.

The loud grumble from Korra's stomach destroyed the moment.

Asami chuckled and guided Korra back onto the mattress. "I'll get you some of the seal jerky Katara packed for you."

"Wait, where _is_ Katara? I didn't see her on the deck. And my mom and dad."

"They aren't here. It's just Kya, Naga, and I."

Confusion crossed her face. "Why? Are they okay?"

She nodded. "They're fine. They stayed in the Southern Water Tribe to – _address_ everything that's happened the past few days."

"So, they're not staying in Republic City with us?"

"Korra, you're not staying in Republic City _at all_."

She pushed herself up in shock. "What? What do you mean? Where am I going?"

"You're going to the Fire Nation."

(-)

Chapter 3: Investigation

 _And it didn't matter whether he liked it or not. Because this wasn't about his desires or his preferences or his urge to just bury this all away; this was about justice, justice that needed to be served._


	3. Investigation

Hello all! Sorry for the delay in this post; I meant to get it out a bit sooner. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Much love. *heart*

Also, minor trigger warning for references of violence and things that happened in Korra's past. There's a brief chapter summary at the end of the chapter if needed.

(-)

Chapter 3

 _And it didn't matter whether he liked it or not. Because this wasn't about his desires or his preferences or his urge to just bury this all away; this was about justice, justice that needed to be served._

 **Investigation**

His eyes looked over each word of the note in his hands with severity. He had lost count of the number of times he read the letter; at this point, he could probably recite the content word-for-word by memory alone, if he really wanted to. This was, in fact, something he did _not_ want to do.

If anything, he wanted to get through this as quickly as possible and move on with his life.

Though, of course, he had no idea what state his life would be in after this; the consequences of his actions were too unforeseeable when it came to _his_ fate.

The fate of the ones he was accusing, though… _that_ was a different story, a story he was playing a key part of.

And it didn't matter whether he liked it or not. Because this wasn't about his desires or his preferences or his urge to just bury this all away; this was about justice, justice that needed to be served.

He read over the words again, the note on top of a large stack of papers in his lap. He flinched inside every time his eyes crossed the phrase "savage". His heart sunk with the weight of the situation, though part of it raced with each piece of the threat he reviewed. He didn't know much about this man. To be honest, he didn't know much about _many_ of the students at his college. There were hundreds of them at all different levels and very few of them had ever come to his office to speak with him. He recognized a name here and there, given his past as a teacher at the university, and he knew the basics about them, such as their major and where they were from. But he hadn't matched the faces until they crossed his path, and in all honesty, he didn't even know what this man looked like.

But he wondered, in his late nights beside the fire with a cup of tea in his hand, what was going through this boy's head. Why did he think it was okay to do what he did? What had brought him to such violent acts? Even amongst these thoughts, there _was_ something that pulled on his interest moreso than the intentions and history that lead to his behavior and threats:

 _What was it that Korra had done that made him want to kill her?_

He passed over the words again.

 _"This used to be all about Sentai and your fucking with him and the whole 'grading with biased bullshit' that fucked everything up. Now, after what you did to me, to everyone else, this is_ _personal_ _."_

What had she done beyond pissing Sentai off and throwing off the structure of the scandal? What had she done that would make this man want to beat, ravage, and kill her?

"Dr. Suri." A man called to him as he crossed the room, his voice strong and stern.

The sound pulled him away from his ruminations. He straightened his papers and rose from the bench on which he sat, keeping the stack close to his hip as he did so.

"Are you ready to present your case?" The man straightened his outfit and adjusted his glasses, the wear from the many cases in his life clear on his face. He had both defended justice and witnessed injustice in his time, and his feelings on the details of _this_ specific predicament were mixed. While he would be helping to expose a huge scandal within the system of the University of the United Republic of Nations, he would also be playing a hand in the consequences to come, consequences that he didn't necessarily want to occur.

"Have the officers arrived?"

He nodded. "They are waiting inside."

Dr. Suri bobbed his head. He took a deep breath, a blend of emotions in his eyes.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," the man stepped forward, speaking into Suri's ear as quiet as he could. "You've already kept this hidden with your information about Sentai's affairs and this Kuru kid. We don't have to make this public; we can keep it between those involved and simply remove the others from the University without consequence."

He met the pale grey-green irises of his lawyer as part of his mind considered this option. It _would_ spare them the bad publicity and a full scale investigation.

But at the same time, would it really _solve_ anything?

 _"And what do you think will happen if you just let everything go?"_ Asami's words rang in his head. _"They're just going to get away with more and more shit. More people will get hurt. Who's going to stop Kuru and his friends from getting drunk and nearly killing another person, just because they know they can get away with it?"_

Even if he _did_ manage to expel Kuru and the rest of the people involved in the assaults, he had no way of predicting whether or not something like this would happen again. In fact, he wasn't even entirely sure of _who_ _else_ attacked Korra, other than Kuru.

 _And the next time, the victim might not be so lucky as to live._

"No. This is something that has to be done. Nothing is going to change if we don't bring attention to the atrocities that have occurred." He faced his lawyer. "This is a systemic flaw, not just an issue with a group of people. The university as a whole needs to be investigated and those who have been involved in the structural crimes need to be accounted for. We cannot allow this to continue; we need _change_ just as much as we need justice." He turned to the door of the courtroom. "If we want to help the university, then we need to go from the bottom all the way to the top." He tightened his grip on the papers in his hand. With a deep breath, he approached the entrance and did the best he could to hide the shaking in his legs.

His lawyer followed him, adjusting the collar of his outfit once more.

Dr. Suri pushed the doors open. The officers who were seated rose as he made his way to the front of the room.

There was only one man who did not rise and he was in the center of the long desk that Dr. Suri was approaching. His uniform was different from that of his comrades at his sides; while he bore the insignia of the Republic City Police Force, his armor was not made of sparse plates of metal as the rest were, nor did he have the small gold symbol on his chest marking him as one of the Metal Bending officers under Lin Beifong's sole command. He peered at them through his eyebrows, observing Dr. Suri's appearance. He was a calculating man, and with everything that had been going on in the City, he did not particularly have time for petty matters in a university that was not even _within_ his City.

Still, he was one of the lead detectives in the headquarters, which gave him special jurisdiction over different areas and affairs within the United Republic of Nations, and he was placed on the job by Lin Beifong through Shen, the front desk assistant. He was suspicious at first when he was handed the paperwork, but the signature on the bottom looked authentic. And given Lin's title as Chief of Police, it wasn't exactly an order he could refuse; her authority wasn't _just_ over the Metal Bending units, after all.

Why she had given him this task when they were working on an investigation with the Strikers was beyond him. He didn't have time to hunt her down and question it, though, as she was swarmed with meetings, patrols, and other conflicts involving the Strikers and Triads alike. Couldn't she have assigned this to one of the newcomers or someone who did not have such a strong hold – or busy plate, perhaps – already? Why pull her lead investigator for such a task?

 _Maybe she figured you would be the quickest to solve this case so that she wouldn't have to waste too much time on the matter?_

 _Or perhaps she was too busy to notice what she was signing?_

He folded his pale hands together and rested them against his chin, leaning his face a bit into his arms for support. His dark green eyes never left Dr. Suri or the man following him – most likely his lawyer, given his wardrobe. He noted the large stack of papers in Suri's hand as he placed them on the table across from him.

Dr. Suri and his lawyer waited for the investigator's command before sitting.

 _He's conflicted_ , he thought to himself as he stared into Suri's eyes. _It's not by much, but it's there._

"Sit," he murmured, remaining still in his analyzing position.

They did as they were told. The officers on either side did the same.

"In case they have not already told you, I am Officer Jisuan, lead detective for the Republic City Police Department." He lowered his hands to the table but maintained a tall stature. "You are Lee Suri, of the University of the United Republic of Nations, as I've gathered from the report." He opened the folder in front of him and retrieved the file. "You have come to the Republic City Police Department with a complaint against the University."

"Yes, sir," he spoke as clear as he could.

"Why is it," Jisuan asked as he flipped through the pages in front of him, "that you've come to _us_ concerning this matter? Surely, the university has its own police force to handle these types of investigations, do they not?"

"They do –" Suri replied, though his lawyer interjected.

"My client has come to the Republic City Police Department because he needs a third party for this situation, an investigator that is not tied to the university."

Jisuan lowered the papers just an inch and glanced up at the man beside Dr. Suri. "I don't believe I was asking you."

He didn't falter. "I understand that, but my client has given me permission to speak for him when details of the case are involved, expressed solely through the binding contract in his possession, and only when speaking within his presence with members of the police force. I can take you to the page, if you would like –" He reached out for one of the packets in Suri's stack.

Jisuan flicked his hand towards him. "That will not be necessary." He returned his attention to the report in front of him. "Why is it that you need a third party, Mr. Suri?"

"I am under the belief that the authorities working for the university may be corrupted by what it is I am requesting an investigation for."

He raised a brow and brought his deep green eyes up to Suri. "What has led you to this conclusion?"

"My client has evidence of a scandal ensuing within the university structure that he believes spreads beyond that of a simple professor and a few students. With this in mind, he requested a third party to prevent biased judgment in the investigation."

Jisuan glanced at Suri's lawyer for a moment, considering him. He lowered his papers and nodded. "Fair enough. Trustworthy people are hard to come by these days. While acting on suspicion is not always the best plan, it is sometimes advisable in these types of situations." He brought his attention to Suri. "You've done the right thing coming to a third party on the matter. You haven't provided much detail in your report, though. Is there a reason for that?"

"You never know who can be listening or watching." Suri eyed the officers at Jisuan's sides before locking back onto the dark green irises before him. "The last time evidence was attempted to be procured, it was stolen. I intend to prevent that from happening again, as well as any other information leaking about this case."

"Explain. And start from the beginning."

"Of course." Suri adjusted in his chair and folded his hands on the table. "It all started during this previous semester at the university, about three months ago. A student named Korra was enrolled in a general chemistry class, taught by Dr. Sentai – one of the men I'm requesting an investigation on. He had a policy in which students who are late to his exam are forbidden from taking the test. Korra ended up being late because she was giving my daughter CPR in the outside quad of the college; she had collapsed when I was giving her a tour. Korra saved her life. I ended up finding Korra on my way to my office and she told me about what had occurred. I confronted Sentai on the matter and abolished his rule, allowing Korra to take the exam."

"Your position as the Dean of the college gives you the authority to do such a thing?"

"Yes. The fair treatment of students within the university allows me jurisdiction over the professors when it comes to certain classroom policies."

Jisuan retrieved a pen from the inside of his outer robe and scribbled something on the paper beside him. "Carry on," he continued, not looking up from his sheet.

"Several days after the exam, I crossed paths with Korra once more. She was upset about something, so I brought her into my office and spoke with her. She told me she had failed her exam. I requested to look over the test, as I had taught that course prior to my appointment as Dean of the college. She allowed it. After reviewing her work, I came to the conclusion that she had not, in fact, failed the exam. Rather, her professor had graded the test with bias so that her score was below the passing mark." He paused for a moment, waiting to see if the detective wanted to say something. After nothing but silence and not even a glimpse in his direction, he continued. "I called Sentai into my office and requested that he regrade her exam. I gave him a warning that if I caught him grading with bias again, I would have him put on suspension for falsifying academic information."

"Where does the evidence come into play, Mr. Suri."

"He's getting to that part," his lawyer spoke up, prompting a glance from Jisuan.

"Continue," he instructed after he looked away from the pair and brought his attention to his notes.

"Of course. A few days after this, Korra began receiving – _death threats_ ," he choked the words out, trying to stop the sight of Korra in the campus hospital from flashing into his mind.

This forced Jisuan to freeze. He locked onto Suri's eyes. "Death threats?"

Suri nodded, dropping his gaze for a moment to gather himself. "Yes, sir."

"When were these brought to your attention?"

"When it was too late."

The air thickened between them with the silence that ensued.

 _If she had just brought them sooner, this whole thing could have been avoided._

"She was afraid," Suri muttered, his eyes still on his hands and the papers stacked in front of him. "That's why she didn't bring them to me before the attack."

"The attack?" His brows narrowed, his pen abandoned to the tabletop. "What attack?"

"A group of students assaulted her near the campus lines. I am under the suspicion that they were the same ones that had sent her the death threats." Suri lifted his sight to meet the dark greens before him at the end of his statement.

"What makes you suspect these students?"

"I have evidence from one of them – a threat that was delivered to her dorm around two weeks ago, after the conclusion of the past semester and after Korra was dismissed from the college." Suri took the letter from Kuru and handed it to Jisuan.

"Dismissed? Why was she dismissed?"

"For biased charges against her."

"Biased charges?" He brought his attention away from the note before he could read it.

Dr. Suri nodded. "I read over the dismissal letter that the Judiciary Board of Trustees sent her. They did not give her a trial nor did they contact her for defense, claiming that the nature of the charges allowed them to rule without her input."

"Is that something they are allowed to do?"

"Technically yes, but –"

"What my client is saying is that the charges brought against her were warped and one sided, based on reports that did not take into account the situation at hand. An example of which was the claim by a student that she maliciously harmed them. This instance was, in fact, an accident. Korra was having an anxiety attack from the sight of her aggressor after the assault and fled the area, running into the student by mistake."

"What were the other charges? And what evidence do you have of Korra having an anxiety attack at this time?"

"A witness. Asami Sato." Suri replied before his lawyer could speak up.

"Asami Sato?" Jisuan held his chin in thought. "She is involved in these affairs?"

"The accused have targeted Miss Sato due to her relation to Korra as a friend and from her participation in this debacle. This can be seen in the note that my client has given you." The lawyer responded as he flipped through the stack of papers in front of Dr. Suri, looking for Suri's copy of the dismissal letter from the Judiciary Board. He continued as Jisuan read over the threat. "Other charges against Korra include verbal harassment, damage to institutional property, and conduct which threatens the safety of any person or persons." He paused and lowered the sheet, waiting for a reply from the investigator. When he was met with nothing but silence, he glanced up at Jisuan to find a twisted expression on the officer's face.

What neither of them knew was that Jisuan did _not_ take kindly to these types of threats, _especially_ those involving sexual abuse. He blinked his eyes slowly, pushing away the memories trying to force themselves into his head. The first read-through of the note left a pained look on his face. The second morphed into sadness. After the third, there was simply anger on his furrowed brow. He set the letter in front of him and met the pair with penetrating eyes. "You said this note was delivered to Korra a few weeks ago. What of the threats originally given to her?"

"Those were stolen from Asami Sato when she attempted to deliver them to my office."

"Why didn't Korra bring them to you?"

"This was after the assault. Korra was in the hospital and unable to get to me in her condition. Asami Sato attempted to deliver them on her behalf."

Jisuan folded his hands across his chin once more. "What do you know of the assault other than what you've told me?"

"My client has the police report given to him by the campus police that found her on the night of the attack," the lawyer flipped through more papers and pulled the sheet out. He slid it over to Jisuan. "She was attacked at night near the campus outskirts as she was, presumably, heading to her dormitory. The officer reports that there were –"

"I can read what's written," Jisuan held up a hand to silence the lawyer as he scanned the paper in his fingers. "Have you a medical report from what occurred?"

"Yes," Suri responded, handing the officer what he requested. "I – I also saw Korra in the campus hospital the day I was given the report from the campus police. She… she was not in good shape."

He raised a brow and met Suri's eyes. "Explain."

"The right side of her face was completely beaten and swollen. She had a cut across her left cheek from some sort of blade. There were multiple bruises along the rest of her body – from what I could see – and she was unconscious when I arrived."

Jisuan glanced back at the medical report. "It says here that she was stabbed?"

"Yes. She was." The words were solemn as they left his mouth.

"Did the campus police start any sort of investigation on this matter? Did you contact them at all?"

"No, they did not. I am unsure of whether Korra or Asami contacted them for further assistance, but as far as I know, they did not investigate the matter. I believe they did increase their patrols, but there was not a formal search into what happened."

Jisuan scoffed. "That doesn't seem very smart." He flipped back to the police report. "Why did you not contact them? You said Asami Sato came to you for help, even though she had lost the threats."

"While the situation – _impacted_ – me, I knew that, without evidence, there would be no case for the police or the Judiciary Board."

"The officers seeing Korra assaulted wasn't evidence enough?"

Suri paused, his heart pounding. "From what I was told, they couldn't make out _who_ was attacking Korra. And since I believe they might be involved in the scandal, I feared they would have disregarded or destroyed any evidence we brought them."

"Yet you refused to ask for a formal investigation, not even from a third party."

He swallowed. "Like I said, I wanted to wait until I had evidence –"

"And now you do?"

Suri nodded, a bit of fire in his eyes to hide the nerves. "Now I have evidence."

"How did you acquire this threat?"

Suri hesitated again, considering Asami's words once more. "I found it in Korra's dormitory room." He took a breath. "Five days ago, on the 22nd," he added, marking the time when Asami had given him the threat outside of his office on that cold morning.

"What were you doing there?"

He lied; he _had_ to. "I wanted to speak with Korra about everything that had happened last semester and about her dismissal letter. I knew she was still on campus since she was opting to stay here during the break. When I went to her dorm, she wasn't there. The door was unlocked. When I entered, I found the note amongst her dismissal letter, while the rest of her things were gone."

"She left the premises?"

"To my knowledge. I haven't seen her or heard of her whereabouts since."

Jisuan set the reports down and scribbled something on another piece of paper. "Do you believe this threat has come to fruition?"

Suri looked away, pain in his tone. "I certainly hope not."

Jisuan glanced up at him again. "So what is it you want me to do? Where does this all connect?"

He brought his eyes back to the deep greens boring into him. "It all connects to Redemption."

"Redemption?"

He nodded. "It is my suspicion that the students who attacked Korra and sent her this threat are Redemption players for the college."

"And?"

"Redemption brings in a large amount of revenue that is put towards the funding of the university –"

"My client suspects that the professor who graded Korra's exam with negative bias was also grading the exams of the players with _positive_ bias," the lawyer interjected, looking to get straight to the point. "With the threat against Sentai of suspension if he graded with bias again, it is very possible that he stopped giving the Redemption players passing scores. This lead to the threat – and actuality – of violence against Korra and all those involved."

Jisuan sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I see. So you suspect that the professor was passing them to allow them to play and bring money into the college."

"Yes. But I don't believe that Sentai was the only one engaged in such affairs. I believe this is a system-wide issue. The Redemption fund is spread across many areas of the college's finances: the Board of Trustees, the professors, the hospital, the police force –"

"Hmmm," Jisuan muttered, bending closer to the table as he did so. "As terrible of a financial policy that this is, I can see now why you didn't want to go to the campus police or the board."

Suri simply nodded.

"This is quite a heavy accusation, Mr. Suri. You do understand the gravity of what you are asking me to do with this situation?"

"I understand completely."

Jisuan glanced at the papers in front of him, considering and calculating. His eyes fell on the threat and picked one word out amongst the rest: 'ravaged'.

"I will lead this investigation," he spoke in a booming voice, realizing that this was _much_ more complex than he would have thought from the report.

 _No wonder Lin had_ _me_ _assigned to this._

A slew of emotions riled up inside of Suri. All he could do was nod.

"Do you have any leads? Anything that can help this investigation?"

He pulled from Asami's idea once more. "I would start with Sentai's office. He should have the past final exams on file there. You can use it to both confirm the threat was from Kuru based on the script and compare the grading system between the different students. That should help provide evidence for his biased behavior."

Jisuan nodded and scribbled a few notes on another piece of paper. "I want warrants for every professor in that university to search their offices," he grumbled to the officers at his sides, "to obtain any evidence that may indicate any sort of biased grading, financial crime, or other illegal activity." He ripped one sheet off from his pad and handed it to the officer closest to his right. "I trust Dr. Suri will provide a list of them?"

"I will do whatever you need me to do."

"Good." He jotted something down on another piece of paper. "Because I also want a list of all of the Redemption players for this past semester."

"I can assure you my client will do what it takes to help with this case."

Jisuan ignored him as he tore another sheet. "I want the contacts and warrants for the members of this Judiciary Board as well. I want to speak with them concerning their ruling on Korra's dismissal and any involvement they might have in this issue." He handed the paper to the officer on his left. "You two," he called his remaining colleagues over while he scribbled on a fresh notice. "You are to find Sentai and bring him in for questioning," he pulled the sheet off and gave it to the man as he addressed him, "and you, Zhang, are to find Kuru to do the same." Jisuan removed an additional piece of paper and passed it to the other officer. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." They replied in unison.

"Dr. Suri here will help you with the addresses, should you need it. I expect reports by midday today. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Suri and his lawyer rose from their seats, gathering their things as they did so.

"I will keep in touch with you on the progress of the investigation. If there is corruption in the university, I _will_ find it."

Suri offered him a bow. "Thank-you."

Jisuan nodded. They departed, Suri and his lawyer to the exit and Jisuan to his officers.

Once the door clicked shut, he addressed his comrades. "This requires the utmost privacy; if anyone hears about this or if information is leaked out, then we could lose evidence. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Jisuan spun around and straightened the papers that were given to him. "You're dismissed."

The officers saluted him. Three of them left the room while one officer lingered behind.

This didn't go unnoticed. "Is there a problem, Zhang?"

"No, sir. I was just wondering… what are _you_ going to do?"

"If you're going to be a good investigator someday, then you must never forget that there are always _two_ sides to a story, if not moreso."

"I don't think I understand, sir."

Jisuan faced his comrade with fierce eyes. " _I'm_ going to find out everything I can about Korra and Asami Sato. Every. Last. Bit."

(-)

Chapter summary: Dr. Suri from the University of the United Republic of Nations meets with an Investigator from the Republic City Police Force concerning the scandal at the University. With evidence that Asami Sato provided him in secret, Suri and his lawyer look to Investigator Jisuan for help. They recount the tale that happened at the university with Korra, Asami, Kuru, Sentai, and the violence involved, and Suri provides one of the threats that Kuru wrote to Korra as evidence for the investigation, along with his suspicions about the institutional corruption at the college. After reading the note and seeing the threats of violence against Korra, Jisuan agrees to help with the case, realizing this is a much more complex case than he once thought. He assigns several Metal Bending officers tasks to retrieve warrants and bring in Kuru and Sentai for questioning. After everyone leaves except the young Metal Bending Officer Zhang, Jisuan gives him a piece of advice: there are two sides to a story, and Jisuan was going to learn everything about Korra and Asami that he could.

Every. Last. Bit.

Chapter 4: Delicate healing


	4. Delicate healing

Hey all! Happy October! Here's an update to The Arts. Hope you enjoy! I'm hoping to update every few weeks as time goes on and as I work on finishing this part of the fic. Thank-you for your amazing support and divine patience. Much love!

(-)

Chapter 4

 _Things will get better. And I'll do everything I can to make that happen._

 **Delicate healing**

Her jaw dropped. "Wait, I'm going to the _Fire Nation_? _Why_?"

"They decided it would be safer for you there."

Korra's lip pouted. "Who's _they_?"

"Tonraq and Katara, mostly. But Kya and Senna contributed as well." Asami slid her hands under Korra's jaw line.

Korra looked away, refusing to stare into Asami's eyes. She couldn't help the sense of betrayal she felt in her chest.

And it wasn't hard for Asami to see it. "Korra, Republic City is swarming with Strikers and Triads that might hurt you, and we were ambushed in the Southern Water Tribe _twice_ in one day." She tried to reason with Korra. "Katara and Tonraq need time to investigate _why_ those members of the White Lotus were attacking you before it's safe enough for you to go back."

She pulled herself from Asami's grip and crossed her arms. "The Southern Water Tribe isn't the _only_ Nation with White Lotus, you know." Her lip pouted.

"They're well aware of that. And so is Zuko. That's why you're staying with him, wherever it is that he lives in the Fire Nation. He's going to train you in Fire Bending _personally_ , from what I understand."

This got her attention. She lifted her gaze and met the peridots before her. "What do you mean?"

"They didn't just pick the Fire Nation because it protects its perimeters with a fleet. They wanted a place where you could start healing and honing your Fire Bending skills, where you could 'start your training to be the _Avatar_.'" She impersonated Tonraq, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

 _The Avatar?_

To be honest, Korra had forgotten all about the truth she was handed in the Southern Water Tribe while talking to Asami. It started to rush back to her, her mind flashing between Katara's words and her own when she redirected Piku's lightning. The phrases claimed that s _he_ was the Avatar. _Her_. Korra, from the Southern Water Tribe. And when the pieces clicked together, it had made sense.

Horrible, painful sense.

The dreams and subconscious trips came back to her, their images crisper now than they had ever been before. A sharp pain flew through her skull. She grimaced and held her head, curling into herself from the shock.

There was no turning back from this now.

"I'm…" she whispered, but the words wouldn't come out from her apprehension.

"Asami, I think we were hit or something because there's something wrong with the en– Korra? Are you alright?" Kya rushed over to the bed, concern in her eyes. She knelt down beside the mattress and looked up at Korra, trying to examine her.

"I'm fine," Korra grumbled, turning away before Kya's hand reached her.

A loud burst of the engine shook the boat. Asami and Kya exchanged a fearful glance.

"I'm going to go check on the engine, Korra. I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded but didn't look at the woman beside her. She flinched again to another pain in her head.

Asami gripped Korra's shoulder with a single hand before pushing herself up. She wanted to do more; she wanted to sit there and help Korra sort things out. She wanted to hold her and comfort her in any way that she could. But another burst from below refused her the opportunity. She sighed and scurried to the engine room, a mild skip in her heart.

Kya also rose, hoping the motion would be enough to get Korra's attention.

It wasn't.

"I've got to go helm the ship and guard it while Asami makes repairs. I froze their boat out there, but there's no telling whether or not they're the only pirates on the water. Just… stay here and get some rest. Alright, Korra?"

Korra bobbed her head, still silent in her response, though her hands were now laced in her hair from the tension in her mind.

Kya made her way to the door and stopped at the exit, taking another moment to look over her shoulder. She watched as Korra groaned her way to her side and lay still on the mattress, not even bothering to put the blanket over her body.

Korra curled up into herself and never let go of her head.

Kya dropped her eyes, heaviness in her heart.

 _Things will get better. And I'll do everything I can to make that happen._ She paused. _And not just for mom, but for_ _you_ _, too. I promise._

With a final glance, Kya zipped out of the room, eager to get the ship running and safe as soon as she could.

(-)

Korra stared at the wall for what seemed like hours. Because it was, in fact, _hours_. She couldn't even remember the last time she blinked. Everything just seemed to blend together and stretch out, as if she were still drifting along in that never-ending pool of darkness. Her dry eyes watched the shadows flick across from her, their intensity fading with the life of the fire. She didn't want to think at the moment; it was still too hard to. Her head was throbbing, and at this point, she believed it would just be a permanent part of her life now.

Now that she was the…

She muttered it in a whispered mental voice.

 _The Avatar._

A mild shock bounced off the walls of her skull. She grimaced and clenched her jaw, wishing for the pain to just _stop_. Her ears picked up on mild clinking and banging in the engine room. Asami was in there, working hard as she always did to try and get that damn engine to run.

That was when Korra realized what boat they were on; this was not just any ship. Rather, this was the vessel they had stolen from Future Industries to flee Republic City.

 _But how? The Strikers took it from the Aakaga when they retreated in the Southern Water Tribe._

Her insides shrugged.

 _Maybe they abandoned it when they realized how shitty it was._

 _Then why did_ _we_ _take it?_

Another shaking and a burst echoed across the room. A muffled scream forced Korra upright.

"Asami?"

She crawled her way to the edge of the mattress and struggled to her feet, each attempt at moving her body around more painful than the last.

 _When will I_ _ever_ _be not-tired or sore?_

Korra groaned to the exit and looked around, searching for the engine room. When she came across the familiar door, she lowered herself to the ground and slid down the steps, one at a time; she wasn't looking to make her injuries worse if she could prevent it.

 _You could prevent it by listening to Kya and Asami and_ _staying in bed_ _._

 _Can it_ _._ She growled her mental response as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Korra pulled herself to her feet and glanced around. Steam was billowing from a pipe and filling the room. The visibility was low, if at all existent.

"Asami?" Korra called out, holding her injured front with her free hand.

"Korra?"

"Asami!" She meandered through the steam, thankful that it wasn't _too_ hot for her to navigate.

That didn't mean there wasn't a decent sting on her skin.

It didn't take long for her to start sweating. Nor did it take long for her to lose her sight completely. "Asami?" She called again, hoping that she was near.

"Kor –" Asami's response was cut off as Korra tripped right over her torso.

Korra smashed into the ground with a pain-laced "oomph" and groaned; this was _not_ helping her injuries in the slightest.

"Korra? Are you alright?"

"I – should be asking you that." Korra rubbed her forehead, convinced she had a new bruise there.

"What in the hell is going on down here?" Kya approached them, Bending the steam as she did so. She cleared the area around them to find Asami on her side, a small amount of blood leaking from the side of her head and Korra on top of her, rubbing what was sure to be a similar injury – minus the blood. She raised an eyebrow and if she hadn't been Water Bending, she would have put her hands on her hips in frustration. "Korra, I _told_ you to stay in bed. And Asami, what _happened_?"

Asami squirmed from under Korra and sat up, her greasy palm to her injury; she had abandoned her gloves hours ago, their surfaces too oily and slippery to hold the tools she needed. She brought her hand back into her sight, too weary to remember where her gloves even were or why it had mattered at that instant. What she wasn't expecting were her fingers to get wet with blood. "I was checking through everything – as we started up… and one of the steam pipes burst. I think the end got me."

"Can you stand?"

"I – I think so." Asami rolled over to her hands and knees when she stopped at the sight of Korra. She brought her focus to Korra in an instant. "Korra, are you okay?" She gripped Korra's shoulders and helped her sit upright.

"I'm fine. Just had a tumble, that's all."

Kya shook her head. " _Why_ are you down here, Korra?"

"I heard Asami scream and I got concerned." There was a bit more anger laced in her voice than she was expecting. She attributed it to her protective nature when it came to Asami; she wasn't going to just sit around if Asami was in trouble or she needed her – not if she could help it.

 _And I'm not going to just send her away, either_ , a bitter thought in Korra's mind bit back.

Kya sighed. What did she expect? In all reality, she would be more surprised if Korra _wasn't_ down here to check on Asami after that scream; she had heard it all the way in the helm. "Let's just get you two out of here so I can check your wounds."

Asami shook her head. "I need to fix this pipe. We need to get moving." She pushed herself to her feet and wobbled into the wall, finding it hard to keep her balance. She felt dizzy and looked around. Kya faded in and out of focus for a few seconds. She used one hand to grip the wall and the other to hold her head injury. Her eyes searched through the steam until she found the blown pipe hanging from its broken flange, the other end ripped off and dangling after smacking Asami in the skull. She squinted from the small amount of light in the room, her eyes almost burning from the sight of it. It forced her to stagger, though she caught herself against the wall before she fell.

"Asami, you might have a concussion. You need to sit down and let me check you over and heal you."

She refused once more, taking a steam filled breath to steady herself. She worked her way over to the small passageway connecting the engine room to the boiler room. From there, she crawled inside and felt around for the boiler. While her steps were groggy and her mind was in pain, she was still sharp enough to know not to _touch_ the vessel. Once her palms got close enough to feel the heat radiating off it, she brought her hands to the relief valve on the top and cranked it open.

A loud hissing sound filled her ears. It didn't stop her. She twisted it just one more quarter turn to relieve the pressure built up in the boiler. From there, she meandered to the feed valve and rotated the handle until the fuel flow stopped. The fire in the boiler kicked off and soon, the steam stopped flowing from the broken pipe.

Asami sighed in relief and slid down to the floor against the wall. She held her head and closed her eyes, hoping to make her double vision fade.

"Asami?" Kya dipped through the opening and rushed over to her. "Come on, you're coming upstairs to the cabin. You need to rest and get out of this heat." She threw Asami's arm over her shoulders and helped her to her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Where's Korra? Is Korra okay?"

"Korra is _fine_ , for the most part. She doesn't have anything more than a scrape. She's right over there." Kya motioned with her head as they passed the broken pipe.

Korra was leaning against the wall rubbing her scalp with one hand. Her vibrant blue eyes looked up at the pair, a gentle smile washing over her face at the sight of Asami on her feet. She motioned to get up and follow, but Kya stopped her.

"Korra, stay there. I'll come back for you."

She pouted and crossed her arms, wanting nothing more than to help in any way she could. Once Kya and Asami were out of sight, she tried to push herself up to her feet, using the wall as a support. She took a step and faltered, realizing just how much her fall and her injuries were affecting her.

 _Okay, maybe Master Kya's right on this one._

Korra slid back down with a groan and closed her eyes, listening to the quiet drip of the condensate from the broken pipe. She split her lids and stared at it, wondering just how the pipe could have flown off the way it had. She shrugged in defeat, knowing full well that she had no knowledge on the subject matter; that was _Asami's_ expertise.

"Korra?"

She twisted her head to see Kya coming her way, a small bit of Asami's blood on her robe.

"Is Asami okay?"

"I'll find out in a minute," Kya knelt down and wrapped Korra's arm over her shoulders. She held onto her torso and heaved her up.

"Thanks, Master Kya. I probably should have listened to you and stayed in bed." She blinked slowly. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"As long as you don't vomit on _me_ , then I won't be mad at you." Kya replied with a gentle chuckle to lighten her serious tone.

They made their way to the steps and took their time climbing them.

"I was just worried about Asami," Korra mumbled, her words starting to slur in her exhaustion.

"I know you were, Korra. But you need to rest. You've been unconscious for two days already. Your body _needs_ time to recover." She paused a moment, tightening her grip on Korra. Her face grew grave and she turned her head to the wall beside them. Her voice lost its hint of airy humor and returned to solemnity. "To be completely honest, I wasn't sure you were going to wake up. Every time I checked on you, I couldn't feel you at all."

Korra met the corner of Kya's eyes as they reached the top of the stairs. Her heart somersaulted to her tone and concern. She looked away, unsure of what she should say in this situation. 'I'm sorry' just didn't feel like enough. At the same time, it didn't feel _right_ either; it wasn't Korra's fault that she was knocked unconscious by some man's lighting. Well, not _entirely_. She shuffled between blame of all sorts in her head and let it go when they reached her chambers. It wouldn't do much to help anything right now, she decided. She was halfway in her chambers when she noticed the second bed in the room. It was the same one Asami slept on during their travels to the Southern Water Tribe – that is, when she was actually afforded the gift of sleep. It was where she laid now, a hand on her bleeding injury to stop the flow.

"Just lay down, Korra. And stay _here_."

When she saw where Kya was trying to take her – the bed _across_ from Asami – she stiffened her legs to stop the movement and shook her head. "I wanna be by Asami. I wanna make sure she's okay."

While Kya wanted to let out a loud sigh, there was something about Korra's tone that made her stop. She took a quick glance, analyzing the way Korra was looking at Asami on the bed. She thought of their words and the way they acted around each other in the Southern Water Tribe – before, during, and after the attacks thrust upon them.

 _Of_ _course_ _._

Her smile was soft in the firelight. She brought Korra over to Asami's bed. Who was she to deny them? "I'm going to put you at the foot against the wall so you can sit with her and see her, but I'm going to be working on some delicate healing, so try not to move too much, alright?"

Korra nodded, a gracious grin on her tired, mumbling lips.

Kya shook her head and helped Korra onto the mattress. She paused for just a moment to watch them automatically stare at each other, a mixture of worry, relief, and hidden love in their eyes.

 _Lovebirds,_ she whispered in her mind as she popped the cap on her Bending water sac. Lucky for her, she hadn't tainted it yet during their travels from the Southern Water Tribe, so she could use it on Asami without worrying about infection.

 _I suppose that's the benefit of being surrounded by the sea and icebergs,_ she chirped in her mind. She cleared it to concentrate.

"Alright, Asami. I need you to focus on me." Kya grabbed her attention and brought a small amount of water to her brown hand. She kept it swirling in her palm and made it glow. Once the peridots were on her, she continued. "I want you to follow this light, alright? But use just your eyes. Keep your head still."

She nodded and watched Kya's hand, moving her head as she did so.

"Asami, keep your head still. Just use your eyes. Do you understand?"

Asami blinked several times and squinted, trying to focus her vision. She didn't give Kya a response.

"Asami?" Korra called to her, her hand sliding over to Asami's. Her palm met the back of a greasy hand.

Kya brought her glowing hand up to the side of Asami's head and examined her pupils. Both were the same size and dilating in the same way. She sighed in relief. "Asami, I want you to close your eyes this time. I need you to sit as still as you possibly can. I'm going to do some healing and look over your brain. Can you do that?"

"Asami?" Korra squeezed her hand after she didn't respond.

"I'm here. I'm here, Korra."

"Can you hear me, Asami?"

"I can hear you, Korra."

"Can you close your eyes and sit still? Master Kya is going to try and heal you."

"I can do that." Asami shut her lids and rotated her hand so that her palm was touching Korra's. She gave it a squeeze.

"Just relax and breathe, Asami. In and out. Nice and deep." Kya Bent more water from her pouch until both of her hands were surrounded. She made it glow and started at Asami's feet, moving her hands up at a slow pace. Her eyes were shut and her face was a bit scrunched as she analyzed Asami's body. "There's nothing here, thank the Spirits. But that means most of your injury is in your head."

"Korra?" Asami called out, too dazed to even realize Kya was addressing her.

"I'm right here, Asami. What do you need?"

There was no reply, just a light squeeze of her hand.

Korra met Kya's eyes with frantic ones.

"She definitely has a concussion. If it wasn't from the pipe, then it was from the fall." Kya moved up to Asami's head and allowed the water to split between her two hands. She murmured in minor amusement, if only for Korra's relief. "After all the fighting she's been through and the hits she's taken the past few days, a _pipe_ ends up taking her out."

A small grin stirred in Korra, but it wasn't enough to show on her worried face.

Kya noticed this and refocused. She closed her eyes again and lowered the glowing water into Asami's skull, searching her brain for the injury.

The skin around Asami's flesh wound started to heal as Kya concentrated on that chi path. Once the surface cut was dealt with, she moved deeper, somewhat thankful that Asami's injury was bad enough to keep her still; while it was a _terrible_ thing to think, if Asami had been shaking violently or recoiling the way Korra had when her and her mother tried to heal her in the past, she wouldn't be able to do a single thing to help.

There was a slight amount of pain on Asami's face as Kya moved towards a very minute inflammation within Asami's skull. Kya focused her chi around the injury and sped the natural healing process up just a _small_ amount; if she went too quickly, she would cause more damage than she would prevent. It was an advanced form of healing, whenever it involved the brain; it took her years to study and she still wasn't even quite a master – not in the way that her mother was. She shook that away and focused. She could handle a little surface inflammation, but she had to pay _attention_.

After a few quiet, still minutes, Asami's expression relaxed. She didn't feel as lethargic as she did before, nor were her thoughts swirling around in a thick stupor. While she did have a mild headache, she didn't feel nearly as bad. She cracked her eyes open once she felt Kya's presence draw away. She flinched to the light of the dying fire, still a bit sensitive to its glow. Several blinks later and she adjusted.

Kya was crisp and clear in front of her. Korra was beside her, a smile of relief on her face. She gave Asami's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Can you hear me, Asami?"

She brought her attention to Kya and lucky for her, there was only _one_ of the Healer this time. "I can hear you."

Kya lifted her glowing hand up again. "I'm going to move my hand around. I want you to follow it with just your eyes, alright?"

Asami nodded. This time, when Kya waved her hand around, Asami's pupils tracked it. Her head didn't move an inch.

"Good. Now, push against my hands, would you?" She dumped the water she had been using to heal Asami to the floor and put her palms against Asami's boots.

Asami pushed on them.

"Good, now pull."

She did as she was told.

"Good." Kya ran through some more tests with her, from "which toe am I squeezing" to "touch your nose with your finger". When it came to the dual hand tests, she noticed the reluctance between the pair for having to separate their palms. She put it in the back of her mind and continued the examination. She helped Asami to her feet and had her walk around the room. Her steps were still groggy, but much better than before.

When Asami returned to the mattress, she sat on its edge and stretched. Korra crawled up to her with a smile on her face.

"Tell me what you remember, Asami." Kya sat on her other side, evaluating her pupils as she did so.

"I was starting the engine up and checking on the steam pipes when one of them burst."

"Good, you remember."

"Can I go fix the boat now?"

"Absolutely not."

Korra and Asami both frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you need to rest, Asami. For at least a few hours, if not a full day. One wrong move and you could end up right back to the way you were, or _worse_."

She slouched her shoulders just a bit. "Can't I at least fix the pipe?"

" _No_."

"But how are we going to keep moving, Master Kya? We can't just sit in the open water all day, not with pirates chasing us."

Asami frowned and cocked a brow at Korra. "The pirates are chasing us?"

"Well, I mean, I'm not sure – I wasn't allowed to leave the room, but –"

"We'll be _fine_ , Korra," Kya replied with slight exasperation. "I've seen no signs of the pirates lately. And the Earth Kingdom shouldn't be too far from here. We can get to the shores and dock there for as long as we need to; a ship doesn't need an engine to sail."

"But you healed me. I'm _fine_. I can work," Asami shot up to her feet in determination and faced one of the worst head rushes in her life. She tumbled to the side. Lucky for her, Kya was there to catch her.

Unlucky for Korra, however, she _also_ jumped up to grab Asami and _also_ experienced a ridiculous gush of blood in her skull that made her stumble. But there was no one there to catch her. Korra crashed into the floor with a groan and a few new bruises.

"Oh, for Spirits sake! Both of you. Bed. _Now_." Kya put her foot down; she had enough. She laid Asami onto the mattress behind her and forced Korra onto the one across the room. " _Neither_ of you are to get up and leave from this room at all unless it's an _emergency_. _Got it_?"

They nodded, a bit sheepish from their actions.

" _Good_. I'm going to Bend us to the nearest shoreline. I'll come by to check on you once we're there, however long that'll take." Kya turned and shut the door tight without another word, going so far as to Bend a small amount of ice into the large handle for the time being. She shook her head as she travelled to the deck, rubbing her eyes in the process. She was faced with a whimpering, yet growling polar bear dog once she reached the top. "Korra and Asami are fine, Naga. They're resting. You'll get to see them in a little while."

Naga mewled and dropped to the boards.

"I know, Naga. I know." Kya stretched her back and looked out to the ocean with a sigh. The sun was setting, which was enough to give her a general sense of direction. And once the sun was down, the moon would be out, and her Bending would be even stronger than before. She would get them to shore, even if the movement was slow. After a crack of her neck, she widened her stance and started sweeping her arms in massive motions. Soon, the ship was moving from the power of her Bending towards the shores of the Earth Kingdom.

(-)

Chapter 5: Sentiments


End file.
